Paul Guest’s Musical Notes

Ironically, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is probably the most up to date orchestra in London. Known for their historically informed performances of early composers of the baroque and classical periods, they recently performed their second ‘Night shift’ of the season, this time in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. The programme: Weber and Mozart. […]

Hackney is an area I’ve always been interested in, East London has become a hub for new ways of presenting opera with Go Opera’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata in a warehouse and then Vignette Production’s updated La Boheme, in the Village Underground- a regular rave venue. Last night I took my first trip of […]

In today’s Observer, Classical music critic Fiona Maddocks writes “Given the current panic about music directors in the world’s opera houses – following James Levine’s abrupt departure, temporary or permanent, from the Met last week – let’s hope the ROH has shackled Pappano in chains and thrown away the key.” Of course Maddocks refers, above, […]

At first glance, this is somewhat mad -exciting, but totally mad. For someone like me who hates clubbing because of its intimate settings, claustrophobia and loud booming music normally of genres I dislike, this merges a love and a hate. Will I like it? I don’t know. From the way critic Igor Toronyi-Lalic describes it […]

James Rhodes’ latest blog on the Telegraph website entitled ‘Classical concerts are too sacred for their own good. Only the Proms always gets it right’, whilst arguably provocative, is certainly thought-provoking. When I started critiquing classical music and opera I had exactly the same views as Rhodes; however, being a music journalist and spending lots […]